Song: Pieces - Red

After a long walk full of bickering, we make it back to the small garage. The structure looks lonely and abandoned, which instantly worries me. What if my brothers aren't there? It's very likely, considering we were seen not too far from there.

I can't make myself believe they're gone. Not until I've searched every inch of the place.

"I'm going inside," I inform my companions.

"I'll look around the back," Casey volunteers. I nod to him and then we both set off, leaving Leatherhead, Slash, and Charlotte to wait.

I make my way over to the door and turn the handle. My heart pounds with excitement as I fling the door open. The thrill fades, however, when I don't see my brothers immediately. Maybe they're hiding.

I flip the light-switch on and survey the room. "Mikey?" I call. "Donnie? Leo? I'm back."

Something on the floor catches my eye; it's Ice Cream Kitty's carrier. My eyes widen in shock and I race over. Why would Michelangelo leave her behind? He's so protective of her.

I crack open the freezer and the mutated cat pokes her head out. She looks around wildly, a sad look in her eyes. She starts mewing pitifully.

I awkwardly pat her head. "Uh, it's ok, Ice Cream Kitty," I mumble. "You're... Um, safe now."

I'm not really sure what to say. But as her kitty-gaze catch mine, I know she understands. She responds by rubbing her face against my hand and meowing louder.

I am too disappointed to smile. My brothers aren't around and I have no clue where they could have gone. I have officially lost them. And it's all Charlotte's fault.

If she had just kicked stupid Tiger Claw away, none of this mess would be happening. We wouldn't have been kidnapped, and I would still be where I belong: with my brothers.

I can't find anymore rage towards Charlotte, though. Truth is, I'm already furious at her. I can't possibly hate her more than I already do. It's kind of a sad reason to not lash out at her again, but it's the truth.

I close the lid on the hand-held freezer and straighten up. With the carrier in one hand, I turn around to leave, only to stop in horror.

Footbots are surrounding the only way out. They stand there with their weapons at the ready, their mechanical eyes glaring at me. They have me cornered like a rat in a cage.

I curl my lip threateningly at them. "You really don't want to get on my bad side right now," I growl. When none of them move, it becomes obvious I am going to have fight my way out.

"Fine," I snarl, whipping out my single sai. "It's your junkyard funeral."

We charge at each other. I flip over one Footbot and attack the one behind it. I swipe my sai across its shoulder and watch its arm fall to the ground. While it's distracted, I stab its face and spin around to face another offender.

I growl as two shurikens fly passed my head. I glare at the Footbot who had thrown them and jump on it. I repeatedly beat it down with my sai until it is nothing but useless robot parts.

Two sets of 'bot hands pull me back. I throw my sai backwards, only to hit air. I turn around to see four Footbots glaring almost mockingly at me.

"Aaaargh!" I yell as I lunge at them. I take one down, but another comes up behind me and cuts my shoulder. Wincing at the pain, I use Ice Cream Kitty's carrier as a weapon to knock it down. The freezer slips out of my hands and slides across the floor, landing at the feet of another 'bot.

At first I panic, but a second later I quit. Ice Cream Kitty opens the carrier lid and starts viciously swiping at the Footbot. She yowls and hisses with rage as she claws up the legs of her victim.

Gaining a new burst of energy from the help, I punch my other two attackers at the same time. One smashes into a wall and shatters, while the other loses its head and collapses.

I run to Ice Cream Kitty's aid, taking out what is left of her Footbot. Seeing we've gotten rid of all the enemies, I hold her up to my face and I pat her head more affectionately than before.

"You may not talk, but your actions speak loud," I praise her. She purrs and licked the tip of my nose in response.

I only just manage to hide a smile. I close the carrier again and walk out of the garage in a much better mood.

My happiness fades, however, when I see my companions. The sight of Charlotte ignites a fire inside my heart and instantly sends me back to my angry rut. I am surprised to see that she looks interested, however.

"Lucy?" she asks hopefully, her brown eyes sparkling a hint.

"No," I answer stiffly. I pointedly turn away from her and look at Slash instead, ignoring her crest-fallen expression.

His eyes are lit with concern. "My brother, are you alright?" he questions as he approaches me.

They must not have heard the skirmish inside. "Fine," I say stiffly, though I am grateful that he cares.

"Man, what happened?" Casey inquires as well as he appears. "Your shoulder is bleeding."

I feel Charlotte's gaze burning into my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small frown of anxiety on her face. Why does she care? She hates me. I just wish she would go away.

"It's nothing," I shrug him away. "Just got mobbed by some Footbots is all."

"What?!" Leatherhead rumbles deep in his throat. "Why did you not call for us? We would have helped you."

"I didn't need any," I sniff, though I instantly regret my arrogant words after I speak them. "Thanks," I add shortly.

Casey looks at the open door to the garage and frowns. "Was April not in there, then?" he asks after a pause.

"Obviously she was, because she's standing beside me right now," I retort, my lips dripping with sarcasm. Charlotte's staring is really getting on my nerves.

"Whoa, ok," Casey exclaims as he throws his hands up in surrender. "Chill out, man."

"I only found Ice Cream Kitty," I go on less sharply. "Mikey would never leave her lying around unprotected, so they definitely aren't here." And something really bad must have happened to them, I reluctantly add to myself.

"We will continued our search, then," Slash announces.

I don't bother responding. I am feeling sick to my stomach all of a sudden. I start walking down a road that is away from them so they can't see my face.

My brothers are missing. Something terrible could have happened to them. They could have been captured, or worse, they might not even be alive...

I stop my thoughts right there. No. They're alive. They're probably just taking shelter somewhere else. Whatever the reason they aren't around, however, I know one thing:

I am going to find my brothers, no matter what it takes.

We search everywhere we go. Sometimes, I stray further ahead just to scream out my brothers' names. They never answer, however, and I feel my hope draining with the effort. They are nowhere to be found and it's breaking me to pieces.

We wander around for hours, only stopping to eat the rest of the pizzas in Ice Cream Kitty's carrier. I grow more and more frustrated with every step. I need to hear Leonardo's bossy voice, Donatello's puzzling information, and Michelangelo's obnoxious jokes. As much as I hate all those things, I will have given the very breath in my body to hear them one last time.

The moon begins to sink, warning us that daylight is approaching all too quickly. Without warning, I start shouting at the sky.

"Why?! Why am I so useless?!" I snarl. I feel everyone behind me stop in their tracks. "There's no point in being a ninja if I can't use my skills to find my brothers!"

My eyes flood, but my voice only rises. "Everything's gone! My home, my sensei, my life! My brothers were the only things I had left! And now they're gone, too!" My voice cracks on the last sentence and I fall to my knees, a single tear streaming down my face.

I never cry. Ever. But lately, everything has become so much. Too much, actually, and I can't take it anymore. I can't carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, however much I try, because I'm not enough. I am nothing. Nothing at all.

Shredder should have just killed me.

A hand grips my shoulder lightly. "Raph, are you crying?" It's Casey, showing a shocking amount of concern for me.

"No!" I wipe my face clean and shoot him a glare so vicious that he takes a step back. "Don't touch me!"

Casey blinks, a frown on his face. "Dude, it's ok to be upset. I know how it feels to lose your family," he tries to sympathize, but he only makes it worse.

"This is different!" I spin around, my fists clenched together in fury and my teeth gritted.

Casey raises an eyebrow. "How the heck is this different?" he questions and crosses his arms.

I don't know what to say. I spoke irrationally, as usual, and there's nothing I can do to win the discussion. So, I switch to throwing insults.

"Don't be an idiot, puck-head!" I retort. "You know exactly how it's different!"

"Raphael, calm down," Slash rumbles soothingly, but even he can't help me.

"Shut up!" I snap. "Just shut UP!"

Before anyone can say anything else, I turn tail and run. I run as fast and as far as I can without looking back. Tears blind me, putting me off-balance, but I don't stop until I fall flat on my face.

Ice Cream Kitty's carrier slips out of my hand and skids across the ground a few feet away. She peers out of the box and lets out a terrified mewl.

I bury my face in the pavement to muffle my sobs. All my problems begin to spill out of my mind one by one as I lay there. The split in my heart grows deeper with each tear that soaks into the ground. I beat on the road with my fists in an attempt to control myself, but it doesn't work.

I hear a small noise by my head and look up to see Ice Cream Kitty beside me. She starts lapping at my cheek repeatedly.

For some reason, the gesture soothes me, and my broken spirit begins to mend itself. I close my eyes, allowing her continue, though I'm not really sure why. Maybe the fact that she is Michelangelo's pet comforts me.

Eventually, I gain enough strength to sit up. Ice Cream Kitty rubs her face up and down my arm, her purrs vibrating her whole body.

"I'm sorry that I dropped you, Ice Cream Kitty," I mumble, realizing how cruel that was. She doesn't seem to mind, however, because she carries on purring.

I look around. No one pursued me; not even Casey. They let me lose my mind without even trying to stop me. Some friends they are.

I know that's an unfair accusation. Casey tried to reason with me, but I didn't listen. I just shouted at him and ran away.

Even so, I can't help thinking that my brothers never would've let me run off on my own. They would've stuck by my side until the very end. That only makes me miss them more.

It also reminds me how alone I am.

Ice Cream Kitty rests her head in my lap. I stroke her head gently and watch the moon continue to fall in the sky. It will be daylight in two hours. I'm not in the mood to go back to Slash and the others, so I need to find a place to hide.

I put Ice Cream Kitty back in her freezer and carry it to a nearby shelter. It's a building that seems to be on its last legs. The windows have fallen apart and the roof is caved in, but it will temporarily suffice.

I put Ice Cream Kitty down in a corner and settle down on the opposite side of the room. The ground is uncomfortable, but I don't really have a choice. I close my eyes and wait for sleep to claim me.

I haven't even had my eyes shut for more than a few seconds before a noise outside the gaping doorway startles me. I sit bolt upright, narrowing my eyes to see what made the sound. Ice Cream Kitty meows to let me know I didn't imagine the sound.

"Think we should go check it out?" I ask the mutant cat.

She ducks her head and disappears inside her carrier.

I snort. "So brave," I mutter.

I pull out my only sai and creep out into the night, tensing my muscles. I survey the area, but I don't see anything.

I sigh, about to give up, until I see something glinting on the ground several feet away. I approach it cautiously, fearing the worst.

As I get closer, my heart leaps for joy when I realize what it is. My other sai!

I scoop it up, happiness creating a grin across my face. How did my sai get over here?

My question is answered when a familiar figure appears in front of me. The short stature, the curious eyes, and the stupid grin.

"Mikey!" I gasp.

"Raph!" Michelangelo exclaims. "Bro, it's really you!"

I run into his arms and hug him tightly. I bury my face in his shoulder, relieved to see him again. My annoying teenager hormones take me over again, and tears of joy start leaking from my eyes.

Michelangelo must feel his shoulder getting wet, because he pulls back in surprise. "You ok, dude?" he asks, but he doesn't sound mocking- just concerned.

I brush the tears away quickly, but I can't hide the grin on my face. "Yeah, little brother, I'm fine. I just can't believe it's you," I confess, my voice quivering.

Michelangelo grabs me and forces my face into his plastron, like he's trying to soothe me. "It's ok, dude! The Mikester is here, and he can take care of all your sensitive, girly needs!"

His teasing actually makes me feel better. I laugh and push him away, sniffling. "Speak of this to no one," I warn.

"Oh, I don't know," Michelangelo replies with a sly smile. "Leo would love to hear that big, tough Raph was crying," he jokes.

I smirk. "You better not!" I growl playfully. Quick as lightning, I lift him into a shell-wedgie.

"Hey!" Michelangelo squeaks in protest. "Ok, ok, I won't tell!" he whines, but he is smiling.

I set him down, smiling so much that it's starting to hurt. "I missed you," I mumble.

Michelangelo grins back at me, his eyes sparkling.

"I missed you too, big bro."